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PCMag review of Db2 on Cloud highlights ease of use

"IBM Db2 on Cloud will likely be strongly favored by those who want more convenience and ease of use than is generally found in database products or services."

More than any other line in the recent PC Magazine review of IBM Db2 on Cloud, the one above had me beaming.

In developing and improving Db2 on Cloud, we have been laser focused on providing the simplest, most convenient experience possible for users, and it’s heartening to see that those efforts are paying off. That’s not only because it helped us garner a 4.0 “excellent” rating, but also because it means our clients will be better able to get the most out of their data.

I’ve highlighted a number of the most important parts below regarding ease of setup, migration, and getting started.

Setup

"It takes 30 seconds to a minute to create a new instance."

Part of what drives the ease of use of Db2 on Cloud is how quickly and conveniently it can be set up. When PC Magazine detailed the step-by-step setup, it was quick to mention that it took a minute or less to create a new instance. But that’s just one element of the easy setup.

Data loading is also a critical factor in making the process as seamless as possible. PC Magazine underscored that, noting “Db2 on Cloud has one of the easiest data-loading processes in our DBaaS solutions review roundup.” That, along with the fact that it took “one click on the console page” and “a drag and drop” of some CSV data to get it loaded, means that Db2 on Cloud is capable of providing the seamless data loading users expect.

The reviewer came away having “no problems with the setup and was up and running with minimal effort.” But what if you need to scale? Fortunately, Db2 has factored scalability into the equation, too. The elastic scaling of storage and compute with a click of the slider bar is designed to always ensure that users can take advantage of our most powerful features as easily as possible.

Migration

"Data migration processes and the user interface (UI) are clean, intuitive, and easy to operate for users of a variety of skill levels."

Setting up an instance easily is important, but organizations must also consider the data that they may already have sitting on other databases. If you can’t transfer the data you want with relative ease, it doesn’t matter how simple the initial set-up is. That’s why for those looking to migrate large amounts of data to Db2 on Cloud, as PC Magazine says, “you have options to speed the transfer.”

In the article, two data migration options were mentioned specifically: IBM Aspera and IBM Lift. IBM Lift is used for “large, complex databases” and is offered at no additional charge. For other transfers that aren’t quite as involved, IBM Aspera is the best option. It “compresses your data and uses the user datagram protocol (UPD) … allowing you to “render two to five times the normal speed of your internet connection.”

When compared to similar offerings, the differences are clear. According to PC Magazine, IBM outpaces competitors “in ease of use, particularly in data migration.” So users can be confident in the ability to not only get up and running, but also that the data they need will be there once they’re ready to start.

Testing it out

"The Lite plan is a cool way to check out the service."

Keeping with the theme of simplicity, users can try Db2 on Cloud now without even needing to pull out a credit card when you sign up for the Lite plan on IBM Cloud. As noted in the review, though the Lite plan is “limited to 100 megabytes (MB), five connections and one schema” it’s still a great way to experience the ease of use built into the offering or learn about databases in general.

Once you’ve experienced how easy using Db2 on Cloud can be and reap the benefits of having more time to focus on development, it’ll be easy to make the decision that Db2 on Cloud is the right database. And when you buy the service, you’ll get to enjoy the benefits of features such as elastic scaling of compute and storage as well as high availability capabilities.

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